


The Other Side of the Mirror

by gemspegasus



Category: Love Comes Softly, Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Gen, Implied Het, OW AU, PG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-06
Updated: 2010-06-06
Packaged: 2017-10-09 23:09:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/92612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemspegasus/pseuds/gemspegasus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Crossover between OW  AU Mag 7 and Love Comes Softly movie series in which Buck Wilmington and Ezra Standish meet Buck's half brother Clark Davis's family on their way back to Four Corners from escorting a prisoner to Ridge City. Meanwhile Clark Davis ends up in Four Corners due to an accident while returning home from a horse sale in Denver.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Other Side of the Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> Set a few years after the ending of "Loves Comes Softly" but before the beginning of "Love's Enduring Promise."  
> For the purpose of this story, I have the Davis' and the Grahams living on ranches on the outskirts of Bitter Creek, Colorado. This is set after the Mag 7 episode, "Love and Honor but before "Vendetta." Inspired by a prompt by Jossette at the Mag 7 AU group. I am also using Josette's idea about Buck and Clark's father. Thanks Josette. Kristen was also the person who originally named Ezra's horse Chaucer.  
> Characters: Buck Wilmington, Ezra Standish, the Davis' and the Grahams and the other Seven
> 
> Rating: PG, for implied Het between Clark/Marty and some bad language
> 
> Status: Complete
> 
> Spoilers: The story refers to Mag 7 episodes "Love and Honor" and "Safecracker" and to the movies, "Love Comes Softly" and "Love's Enduring Promise."
> 
> Universe: OW AU

"Think we'd better stay in Bitter Creek for the night and head home in the morning unless, you fancy outrunning a snowstorm," said Buck Wilmington to his companion, Ezra P. Standish.

Ezra's steed trotted a bit closer to Beavis, Buck's big grey as he agreed with Buck's assessment of the threatening, inclement weather.

The two had just delivered a prisoner to Ridge City and were on their way back to Four Corners.

They were already on the main road into Bitter Creek and picked up their riding pace to get to the town before nightfall when they heard two children scream.

Beavis and Chaucer raced into the yard of a ranch house slightly bigger than the one owned by Nettie Wells.

The homestead also had a nice-sized barn and corral.

A beautiful, blonde, pregnant woman rushed out onto the yard when she heard the children yell in fright.

"Missie, Aaron," Marty Davis shouted out in terror. She almost stumbled into Chaucer but Ezra had seen her out of the corner of his eye and quickly pulled on his horse's reins to avoid the collision.

Both the Southerner and Marty saw Beavis fly past them.

Marty Davis sighed in relief, as she saw her dark-haired, broad-shouldered husband heading toward the pond behind the barn. She didn't recognize the grey but figured that Clark got it during the horse selling trip up to Denver. She didn't know this fancy-dressed stranger with him either but knew if he was with Clark then he had to be a good man. The blonde woman slipped on the icy ground and swayed.

Ezra caught her before she fell to the ground and led her gently back to the porch.

Before the gambler could say anything, Marty told him, "Go help Clark save the children, I'll be alright."

The Southerner arched an eyebrow at her. "Clark? Who was Clark?" spun through Standish's mind when he heard Mr. Wilmington calling out for him.

Ezra tipped his hat to the pale young woman and ran back to Chaucer and then they rushed to the pond.  
Children being injured or worse always brought out the protective streak in Ezra even though he tried to disguise his protectiveness

Ezra was not the only regulator protective of children; Buck Wilmington was a pretty fierce protector of children and women too.

Right now, the tall, mustached man was untying the lasso from his saddle.

Buck told Ezra what he wanted to do.

The Southerner agreed and waited with bated breath.

A brown-haired toddler of about three years old had fallen through an icy pond and a tiny hand tried to grasp the slightly larger hand of a blonde girl that looked about eleven or twelve years old.

"Missie, help!" cried out the frightened little boy as he tried to grab hold of his big sister's hand but he couldn't and he was slipping deeper into the frigid water.

Missie knelt on the ice very carefully and snagged at her little brother's hand.

"Aarry, its okay, Pa's here," soothed the twelve year-old girl. She had heard the hooves of a horse and then she heard the sweet sound of her Pa's voice behind her.

"Pa?" Aaron hiccupped.

Missie shifted a little to let her little brother see the man standing at the edge of the pond.

The toddler stopped crying and held on tightly to Missie's fingers.

"Missie darlin', hold on to your brother as tight as you can. I'm too heavy to go out on the pond, so I am going to throw you the lasso. Grab it. Tie it around your brother. Then move carefully to the side away from the hole on the ice and stay still while I pull him across the pond. Then once the boy is safe, we'll use the lasso to get you off the ice. Here comes the lasso, Missie. Aary, when Missie puts the rope around you, and I pull you in, you have to be real still. Okay? "

The strong, young blonde caught the rope with her free hand and yelled, "Got it Pa." The little boy's soft but clear, "Okay, pa." was heard.

Buck Wilmington startled at the children's reply but thought they were frightened and confused his voice with that of their pa's. Blue eyes watched as the smart girl quickly and deftly tied the lasso around her brother and then she moved out of the way.

Ezra didn't want Mr. Wilmington slipping on the frozen ground midway through the rescue of the children.

So, the cardsharp had secured one end of his lariat around Mr. Wilmington's torso and the other end was tied to Beavis's pommel. The gambler would then lead Beavis away from the pond when Buck needed to move back as the gunfighter pulled the toddler in.

Marty Davis saw all of this as she rounded the side of the barn. She looked at the men rescuing her children more carefully.

The man she originally thought was Clark wasn't her husband. This man had a mustache, seemed to be a bit leaner than Clark and wasn't wearing a wedding ring. He had also called Missie "darlin'" and Marty had never heard Clark call his daughter by that endearment.

The blonde woman had not recognized the horses or the other man either but this man looked an awful lot like her husband.

Maybe he was a kin of Clark's coming to visit.

No matter who these strangers were, they were good men.

They were rescuing her children from danger.

She reached Ezra's side as Buck tugged the rope off of Aaron and held him in his arms.

Aaron clamped his chubby little arms around Buck's neck and buried his face in the crook of Buck's shoulder.

The big man stroked the back of the boy shivering in his arms and made comforting noises until he spotted the blonde woman at Ezra's side.

"You want to go with your ma?" Buck asked the little one who slowly uncurled himself from the big man and stretched out his arms to his mama.

Marty took him into her arms and held him as the dark-haired man turned back around to rescue Missie.

Once the little blonde was standing next to Buck, Marty thanked both men for rescuing the children and offered the men supper.

Ezra and Buck introduced themselves and then declined at first, stating that they had to find lodgings for the night before heading home to Four Corners.

Marty Davis offered them the use of the lean-to.

Clark had made it bigger last year when he and Ben had added the back rooms to the ranch house.

Blue eyes and jade green eyes studied the lean-to and then eyed the darkening sky and agreed.

Aaron fell asleep in his mother's arms as she walked back to the house.

"Plumb wore out. Poor little fella," chuckled Buck to Ezra as they tied their horses to the rail in front of the lean-to.

Then they took their saddlebags off their horses and headed to the lean-to.

Ezra groused about staying in the lean-to but swallowed down another complaint as Buck hit his head on the door frame when the tall man entered the shelter.

Buck mumbled slightly as he rubbed his head and ducked into the room.

The room was a little larger than he thought as Buck was able to straighten up to his full height and looked around.

There were two long beds with a night table between them.

Ezra took the bed furthest from the door. Standish began complaining again. The cardsharp grumbled about the hay covering the floor.

Wilmington reminded him that at least they didn't have to sleep in the hay like they would have, had they been offered the barn to sleep in or that they could have been holed up in a cave somewhere.

The Southerner conceded and finished stowing his gear.

*******

A few minutes later, both men strode out of the lean-to and Ezra knocked politely on the door of the main house.

Missie opened the door for them and ushered them inside.

The girl paid attention to Marty's talk earlier and waited somewhat impatiently for the men to say if the mustached man was kin to her pa.

She hoped so she really liked him and the fancy dressed man too.

Soon, everyone but Aaron who was asleep in his room was enjoying a hearty meal of stew and a friendly conversation about mutual acquaintances, Mrs. Terri Greer and her daughter Olivia

*******

Meanwhile on the outskirts of Four Corners, Clark Davis and his horse stumbled through the falling snow.

The gash on Clark's forehead bled sluggishly and his cracked or possibly broken ribs had him breathing shallowly but the man and beast plodded onward.

Davis had to get help for his friend, Ben Graham who was lying at the bottom of a ravine.

The two men had been returning home to ranches outside Bitter Creek from their successful horse-selling trip to Denver. They were near the town of Four Corners when disaster struck.

It began to snow lightly and Ben's mount missed a step.

The big bay slid over the edge of the trail and plummeted down a ravine.

Clark tried to reach for his friend but missed. His momentum however, had him following Ben over the side of the trail.

A small, rocky ledge stopped his fall down the ravine.

Minutes later, Clark opened his blurry eyes, looked down and saw an unmoving Ben on the stony floor of the ravine and Ben's bay horse down across from the blond man.

Dizziness caused the big rancher to sway slightly as he rolled over to an upward position. Blood fell from a long cut on his forehead. The skin of his right arm and hand was raw and scraped. A bloody patch seeped through a muscled thigh.

Ribs ached something fierce as Clark whistled for his horse.

Davis gave thanks that he was riding his second calmest horse, Acorn on this trip.

He had left Midnight behind at home in case, Marty needed the calm, steady horse.

The big man stood up shakily, held onto the rock wall with his uninjured left arm as his legs threatened to buckle underneath him. Clark gritted his teeth. He didn't think of himself right now, his friend needed him to get help. Davis put one foot in front of the other and shuffled toward his mount.

Acorn, a large, chestnut horse, trotted down the steep path toward his rider.

By the time, Clark and Acorn reunited; Clark had managed to tie a piece of kerchief to his bloodied right arm and thigh. Davis had used his bandana as a bandage for the gash on his forehead.

Clark steadied himself against his faithful horse's side for a minute or two before deciding how he would get on the horse.

He finally, painfully clambered onto a flat rock and used a sturdy branch, jutting out of the rock wall to climb aboard his steed.

The big rancher slumped on Acorn's saddle, hoarsely commanded, "Straight," and kneed his mount gently.

Acorn sensed the distress of his rider and cantered down the trail.

Clark held on to the horse with all his strength.

*******

JD Dunne stepped out of the jailhouse, glad that it had stopped snowing though snow lined the main street of Four Corners. He looked down the street and squinted against the sunset.

A lone rider was coming in. The rider was slouched low over his saddle. Something about the rider looked familiar to the young regulator and his stomach knotted in fear as he ran up to the chestnut horse.

JD yelled anxiously, "Nathan!"

Nathan and Josiah hurried down the stairs of Nathan's clinic and Chris and Vin shot out of the saloon at JD's panicked shout.

Pain-filled blue eyes squinted at the anxious hazel eyes peering up at him, Clark quickly whispered, "Fell…ravine…bottom…help…" before he slipped into unconsciousness and toppled from the saddle.

JD ran around to the other side of the horse to try to catch Buck before he landed in the street.

Josiah and Nathan had arrived by the horse at the moment, the big man started to fall so they gently caught him before he hit the ground.

Vin and Chris were a step behind the preacher and the healer.

"Nathan?" The blond gunslinger asked as they rushed up the stairs to Jackson's clinic.

"He's alive though he's pretty cut up," the healer answered.

Chris nodded and continued up the steps.

Vin exhaled a silent sigh of relief then tensed again as Chris asked JD a question.

"JD, did Buck say anything before he passed out?"

Dunne paused on the landing, "Oh, God, Chris, he said, "fell… bottom… ravine…help" before he blacked out. Ezra must still be down there!"

Chris's eyes narrowed before he nodded and then sharply asked, "Nathan?"

Larabee did not like the puzzled look on Jackson's face.

The healer and Josiah were busy peeling off Buck's clothes so Nathan could take a better look at the injuries.

"Don't know for sure yet, Chris. It looks like some busted ribs, one wrist is broken and a hole in his leg. 'Siah, JD, Yosemite, Mrs. Travis and Mrs. Potter should be able to help me out while you and Vin bring Ezra home," The dark-skinned man replied.

Chris grunted an assent and then told JD, "Vin and I will go get him, you stay here and watch over Buck while we're gone."

JD nodded.  
Then the blond gunslinger strode over to his oldest friend and spoke softly," Hang in there, Big Dog. Vin and I are gonna go fetch Ezra home. So, don't be a worrying about him, just let Nathan patch you up."

Vin spoke his own encouraging words to the unconscious man before following Larabee out of the door of the clinic.

Sanchez's blue-gray eyes studied Nathan intently. His deep baritone rumbled as JD went to get some supplies from Mrs. Potter.

"Nate? What's wrong?"

Jackson's chocolate brown eyes tore their gaze away from the man whose wounds he was deftly treating and responded to his friend's question.

"This man may look like Buck, but he isn't him."

"What?" Josiah cried.

"This man doesn't have the scar on his chest from the slash of Anderson's sword nor does he have the healing gashes and welts which Buck had from the sword fight with Duo Paulo a few weeks ago. Plus he's clean-shaven and wearing a wedding ring."

Blue-gray irises darted to the big man's left hand and sure enough there was a plain gold wedding band on the fourth finger.

Nathan continued on, "Whoever he is, he does look a lot like Buck. Could be kin of his?"

Josiah agreed with a "Probably."

JD came back with some of the medicinal herbs that Nathan needed for poultices that he would apply to this man.

Nathan and Josiah quickly prepared the poultices while JD spoke soothingly to Buck.

When Nathan applied one of the thick poultices to Buck's leg, JD left for the livery.

The sheriff would attend to the horse that brought his best friend home.

Meanwhile, Pony, Peso and their riders galloped out of town toward the ravine where both Chris and Vin hoped to find Ezra still alive.

Sapphire blue eyes peered over the edge of the road and saw a blond man on the floor of the ravine.

"No sign of Ezra though there is a stranger down there," Vin said as he looked back at Chris.

"We'd best go see if he is still alive," muttered Chris in reply.

Peso and Pony made their way carefully down to the ravine. The horses halted a few feet away from the unmoving man on the ground.

Larabee dismounted and crouched by the stranger to check his pulse.

"He's still alive…barely," Chris said as he straightened up.

"Vin observed that his horse wasn't and that there was no sign of Ezra anywhere.

Both Chris and Vin wore puzzled frowns as they made a travois to transport the injured man back to town.

Where was Ezra?

The question ran through both the gunslinger and tracker's mind, followed by the question of just who this man was.

At the moment they were not going to get any answers and headed back to town silently, each man lost in their thoughts.

Back in Bitter Creek, Buck and Ezra thanked their hostess for their fine meal when they heard little Aaron cry out for his pa.

Marty excused herself and rushed to her son's room.

Missie and the two men were on her heels.

The little one would not stop crying, even when his mother rocked him in her arms.

Big, round, teary eyes gazed at Buck as chubby little arms outstretched toward Buck.

"Pa…Pa!" Aaron cried.

A confused look crossed Buck's face as he asked Marty, "Ma'am?"

Marty smiled softly as she whispered, "You look like his Pa. "

Wilmington whispered an, "Oh" of surprise and said tenderly, "May I? I can rock the boy until he sleeps."

Marty saw the soft look the big man was giving the little one and replied, "He's a bit feverish but I think that will be alright." Then she handed over her son to Buck.

She watched Buck cradle Aaron gently to his chest as the boy laid his head upon the broad shoulder. Then the mustached man carefully sat down on the rocker by the bed and began to hum.

She smiled.

Missie and Ezra were standing in the doorway to the children's room when Ezra suddenly whirled around.

Even though, he was rocking the little one, Buck asked worriedly, "Ezra?"

Ezra turned back around and whispered, "I remembered, we still have some of the herbal medicine our esteemed healer, Mr. Jackson insists we carry when we travel. It is in our saddlebags."

Buck nodded and was grateful that Nate made them all carry some herbs and such when any of them was on the trail.

The healer reminded them that anything could happen on the trial and if he couldn't be with them, he wanted them to at least to be prepared for fevers and such.

The gambler quickly retrieved the medicine and gave it to Marty and Missy who were preparing their own remedy to lower Aaron's fever. As the Southerner turned to go, the little girl tugged at his sleeve and softly said, "Thank You."

Standish returned the girl's smile and then sat at the table playing solitaire. He'd stay at the main house, just in case they needed him.

Jade green eyes suddenly caught a tin-type photo upon the mantle of the hearth.

It was a picture of the Davis family.

Ezra stood and went to inspect the picture at closer range. He immediately identified Mrs. Davis and Missie. Jade green eyes gazed at the man in the photo for the longest time. The man had one arm around Mrs. Davis's shoulders and the hand of the man's other arm rested upon the slim shoulder of the little girl but what really got Ezra's attention was Mr. Davis's startling resemblance to Mr. Wilmington.

Clark Davis was a few years older, a few pounds heavier and mustache-less but otherwise, he could be Buck's twin.

The Southerner could now understand why the boy thought Buck was his father and the earlier reactions of the family to the regulator's arrival upon their property.

Missie stopped at the gambler's side and said, "The picture was taken at the picnic, last spring."

Ezra looked down at the girl at his side and saw the curiosity in her blue eyes as she asked, "Mr. Ezra, are Mr. Buck and my pa related? They look an awful lot alike."

Standish truthfully answered that he did not know.

Missie looked over her shoulder then back at the fancily dressed man standing besides her and whispered, "I hope they are because Mr. Buck is a good and brave man."

Then at a slight sound behind them both the gambler and the girl turned around and saw Buck standing by the table.

The mustached man had heard the last words which Missie uttered, thought about his dream about having a little girl and swallowed the lump in his throat.

Missie hugged Mr. Buck goodnight as he told Ezra, "Boy's asleep now, we best get to the lean-to."

Ezra nodded and bade the little blonde good night before she rushed into the room to be with Marty and Aaron.

*******

Meanwhile back in Four Corners, Vin and Chris took the blond stranger to the clinic while J.D. tended to their horses.

As soon as Larabee and Tanner brought the injured man in, Nathan stood and asked, "Ezra?"

Tanner answered him, "Didn't find any sign of him, only this man."

Chris caught the look which the healer and the preacher exchanged as he and Vin laid the man on the table so Nathan could look at him.

A sharp, "What?" fell from Chris's lips.

Nathan was busy inspecting the man's injuries as Tanner gazed at whom he thought was Buck and whispered, "He alright?"

Josiah replied to both men since Nathan was busy.

"He's sleeping now. But there's still a risk of fever and infection."

Vin and Chris both nodded.

The darkly-clad gunslinger added, "And?"

Sanchez inhaled and then exhaled, "Chris, Vin that man isn't Buck Wilmington."

Two startled faces stared at him then at the unconscious raven-haired man and then back to Josiah.

"What?" Chris finally spat out.

Before Josiah could respond, Vin said, "He wasn't wearing any guns when he rode in and he's heavier than Bucklin." Blue eyes tracked once more over the prone man on the cot.

The ex-preacher rumbled out yes and added, "He also doesn't have the scars from Anderson's saber or the ones from the recent swordfight with Don Paulo."

Chris stalked over to the bed and stared down at the man who looked so much like Buck. Hazel eyes now saw what both Josiah and Vin were talking about. Larabee swallowed twice before he growled out, "Well, he's got the same blue eyes like Buck does." He had seen them for a moment or two when the injured man had opened them briefly when they had put him down on Nathan's cot before he and Vin had gone to look for Ezra.

"Who is he?" Chris asked of the others.

Vin shrugged his shoulders in response

"We'll have to wait 'til he wakes up to find out," answered Nathan as he worked on the other man brought in by Chris and Vin.

"Any sign of Ezra?" Nathan continued as he kept on tending to his patient.

Josiah moved to help him as Chris and Vin responded in the negative.

JD had stolen quietly into the clinic in time to hear Nathan's last question and the answers to it.

"Ezra wasn't with him? Hope he's safe somewhere, cause its beginning to snow again," JD added to the conversation.

Both Chris and Vin tore their gazes away from Buck's look-alike and looked at the snowflakes falling outside Nathan's window. They hoped wherever Buck and Ezra were that their two missing friends were safe from the snow and cold.

*******

Back in the Davis ranch outside of Bitter Creek, Missie pulled Buck and Ezra to the window as flurries of snowflakes began to fall. The trio watched in fascination as snow blanketed the ground.

"We should head back to the lean-to," began Buck as he realized how much snow had fallen. He and Ezra headed across the room.

Marty stopped them as she stepped out of Aary's bedroom and said, "Stay. The snow is falling pretty hard out there, right now. It can blind you and you can easily get turned around and lose your way." The blonde woman took a breath to add more but Missie spoke before Marty could continue.

"Like a few years ago, when Mamma got caught in a snowstorm and Pa almost didn't find her in time." The girl shuddered in remembered fright and then sighed as she continued, "Mamma wasn't too far away, she was by the corral when Pa found her but I had to stand in the open doorway and bang pots and pans so he could find his way home again."

"That was mighty brave of you, Missie." Buck beamed at the girl

"Thank you, Uncle Buck," tumbled out of Missie's lips.

Since Buck Wilmington looked and sounded so much like her pa, she unconsciously thought of the big man like an Uncle and it had just come out when he had praised her for helping her folks.

Ezra and Marty halted their quiet conversation as they heard the girl's words.

Buck stared wide-eyed at the charming little blonde. His hands unknowingly twisted his hat onto the kitchen table as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. No one had called him Uncle since Chris's son, Adam had died some years past. So, why had this beautiful child whom he had never met before, called him Uncle?

As he opened his mouth to ask, Marty slipped a tin-type photo into Buck's now empty hands. The woman softly said, "This is a picture of my husband and I, and Missie a few years ago."

Midnight blue eyes looked down and found himself staring at an almost mirror image of himself.

Looking at Clark Davis was like looking into the other side of the mirror for Buck. Could he one day be like Clark? And have a wife and family? These questions spun through his thoughts before Missie leaned against him.

She said, "Besides looking like Pa, you also sound like him. That's why Aary and I thought you were him, when we were at the pond."

"I sound like him too, huh?" Buck answered Missie as his gaze locked with Marty Davis's. At Marty's nod, Buck dropped into the rocker and wiped a trembling hand over his face. Voice croaking slightly, Buck whispered to Missie, "Darlin' why don't you put this lovely picture of you and your folks back where it belongs,' and handed the photo of the Davis's back to the blonde girl.

As Missie put the picture back, Ezra brought his stunned friend a cup of coffee laced with a bit of whiskey.

"I thought you could use it." Ezra said as he gave Buck the tin cup.

"It seems the youngest Davis child is awake from the cries coming from the nursery, why don't I keep the children entertained there as you speak with Mrs. Davis privately?"

Buck nodded his thanks to Ezra and the gambler delighted both Davis children with his card tricks while Buck and Marty talked.

Blue eyes opened and stared blankly at the Negro man gently talking to him. Clark continued to stare silently at the man until his sluggish mind came fully awake. A hoarse croak escaped from dry lips, "Ben?"

Nathan gave the big man a sip of water while calmly telling him that Ben was sleeping but doing better.

"Headache?" Nathan asked.

Clark blinked. His head was throbbing and he croaked out a, "Yes, followed by who are you?"

Nathan said, "Nathan Jackson, I'm the healer here in Four Corners," as he gave Clark one of his medicinal teas then checked on the dressing on Clark's leg.

A groan of, "Four Corners?" followed by a cough was Davis's answer.

JD entered the clinic and beamed as he saw that the injured man on the bed was awake.

"Buck, thank God, you're awake, we knew that Nathan would fix you up. What happened to you? Did the prisoner try to jump you? Where's Ezra? Is he okay? Why wasn't he with you? Though I guess, I'm glad he wasn't with you when you and the other fellow fell off into the ravine. Not that I'm happy that you fell or anything. Is this fellow, another prisoner? Why did you shave your mustache? Did you lose another bet with Ezra? Where's Beavis? Did he get hurt too? Cause I'll admit that's a good horse you rode in on but he ain't your Beavis…" The youngest of the seven quieted down as he saw bewildered blue eyes staring at him. JD knew he had been talking and asking questions non-stop, the torrent of words had spilled out in relief and joy that Buck was alive and awake.

Nathan shook his head at JD and shushed him softly.

Clark stared at the young, hazel-eyed young man, and thought, had the boy, breathed at all as he asked those questions? Also, he thought, Who's Buck?

"JD?" Clark asked.

The shorter man sat on the edge of the bed and patted the prone man's hand.

"Yeah, it's me." JD replied and then frowned as Clark stared at him confusedly.

Nathan had wandered over to Ben who was now waking up and he didn't hear his patient.

Just as JD opened his mouth to call Nathan back to their side, Chris Larabee walked into the clinic.

Dunne breathed a sigh of relief, Chris was here. He could help him with Buck and Buck's apparent confusion.

Midnight blue eyes darted to the blond man striding into the room and Clark frowned.

"Chris. I think that nasty gash on Buck's forehead scrambled his noggin a bit harder than we thought. He doesn't seem to know me." JD told the blond who had come to stand by the side of the bed.

Clark didn't recognize any of these men.

Yet they seemed to know him and worry about him. They were also gunslingers by the look of the man in black and that unsettled him.  
Was he a gunslinger too? Why couldn't he remember? Maybe if his head stopped hurting so much, he'd remember.

Chris was just about to speak when Mary Travis came in to the clinic to ask after Buck's health.

At the sight of the woman, Clark exclaimed, "Marty! Where's Marty? "  
Frantic blue eyes raked over the room and Clark struggled out of the bed when he didn't see her.

"Oh God, she's out in the snowstorm! Have to find her, I can't lose her too." Clark breathed as he struggled to the clinic door.

Three men wrestled Clark back into the bed as a shocked Mary watched.

Ben had risen from his cot calling out, "Clark, Marty's fine. You saved her. She isn't dead. She isn't dead!"

"Isn't dead? Clark questioned anxiously.

Ben shook his head no, "She stayed at home with the children while we went to Denver to sell the horses. We had an accident on the way back home and from that cut on your forehead, I say it's messing with your memory."

During this exchange, Chris, Nathan and JD had remained quiet.

Only after Clark had slumped back into a restless sleep, did the trio of regulators begin to pepper Ben Graham with questions.

They and Mary Travis learned all about the Davis and Graham families of Bitter Creek.

Ezra readied Chaucer to ride into Bitter creek to send a telegram to Four Corners and at the same time kept an eye on Missie and Aaron who were playing in the yard.

Buck had just carried two pails of water into the main house and set them by the stove. He turned around to greet Mrs. Davis but before he could complete his greeting, Marty suddenly gasped out loud as the blonde felt water soak her skirt and then sharp pains.

"Mrs. Davis?" Buck asked.

"Baby's coming." Marty replied as Buck gave a panicked shout.

"Ezra!"

Ezra ran into the house, gun drawn.

Missie and Aaron ran in right behind Ezra.

Sheepishly, Ezra holstered his gun when he assessed the situation.

Buck hustled Mrs. Davis into her bedroom.

The gambler heard Marty's reply of, "Old Doc Brown, died last week, we don't have a new doctor yet" to Buck's hurried questions.

Marty added between pants, "And Sarah is delivering a baby in Silver Springs."

Buck squared his shoulders and said, "Well, I've helped with the birthing of calves. I reckon delivering a calf and a baby are pretty much the same."

 

Marty had no time to argue with Buck about delivering this baby. The pains were coming faster than they did with Aaron. She just hoped Buck would be as good as Clark had been when he had helped with her first labor.

Missie responded with, "Well when Ma had Aary here, she sounded like Gertie our cow."

Everyone laughed as Missie winked at Marty.

The little blonde and her brother handed Buck towels and Ezra left a pitcher and basin of water on the nightstand.

Ezra herded the children out of the room and entertained them as only he could.

A few hours later, they heard the loud wail of a baby.

Minutes later, Buck came to the door and announced, "It's a boy! And he looks and sounds healthy don't he?"

Ezra, Missie and Aaron all trooped into the room, congratulated a tired Marty and met baby Arnie as he was cradled in his mama's arms.

As soon as Mary left the clinic, she headed to the telegraph office and sent off a telegram to Bitter Creek. She was coming out of the telegraph office as Chris was coming in. Mary told him that she had taken the liberty of sending off a telegram to Bitter Creek explaining Clark Davis and Ben Graham's accident, injuries and recuperation in Four Corners.

There was a problem sending the wire, it appeared the snowstorm had knocked out the telegram posts between the two towns but the telegraph man told Mary and Chris that he would keep attempting to send the telegram until it got through.

Chris tipped his hat at them and then retreated to the jailhouse.

Meanwhile in Bitter Creek, Ezra was equally unable to send a telegram through to Four Corners.

Several days later, in Four Corners, Clark sat on the chair outside of Nathan's clinic.

JD read "The Three Musketeers" to him. JD interspersed his reading with stories of the seven regulators.

Clark was intrigued by the tale JD had just finished telling him about Buck Wilmington sword dueling with Don Paulo to defend a young lady. He and Ben were mending well and leaving tomorrow, since the healer had okayed it this morning.

Clark, his memory restored was anxious to return home to Marty and his children, otherwise he would stay to meet this man whom all the regulators said looked like him.

He had met all the lawmen of Four Corners and they were all good men.

Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner had left this morning to search for their two still missing friends.

Just as Clark was about to ask JD a question, Ben who was sitting on the opposite side of the balcony, breathed out, "Well, I'll be…"

Ben's words were drowned out by the booming voice of Josiah Sanchez stepping off the boardwalk to stop by the wagon now in front of the Potter's store.

"Ezra, Buck! It's good to have you home, brothers." The big man helped Marty Davis and her sleeping infant son down from the wagon while Nathan helped Sarah Graham and Missie Davis down from the back of the wagon.

Ezra tied the wagon's horses to the hitching post near the mercantile while Buck and little Aaron got off of Beavis.

JD was set to sprint down the stairs of Nathan's clinic when he heard Clark's startled, "Marty, Missie, Aaron!" as Clark wobbled to his feet.  
JD stopped to help Clark before heading down to greet Buck and Ezra.

The Davis family joyfully reunited on the balcony of Nathan's clinic and Clark was introduced to his new-born son.

The Grahams were also happily reunited.

Buck and Ezra had just asked Josiah, JD and Nathan about Chris and Vin when Larabee and Tanner rode back into town.

The seven then adjourned into the saloon for a celebratory drink.

Some time later, Vin stepped out through the saloon's bat-wing doors and nearly collided with the young blonde peeking inside the bar. He blinked several times at Missie Davis's words. He nodded then shouted out mischievously, "Uncle Buck, you've got a pretty little lady waiting out here for you."

Four heads swiveled toward Buck.

Buck grinned while he rose from his seat.

Ezra's gold-toothed smile flashed in return as he said, "Give my regards to Miss Davis."

Buck replied, "Will do, pard" as he strode out of the saloon.

Four perplexed sets of eyes turned to Ezra who was calmly shuffling his deck of cards through his hands.

Before any of his friends could ask, Ezra said, "I propose we wait for Mr. Tanner to return from the privy to answer your questions, so everyone can hear the story all at once and thus prevent me from repeating myself."

Missie led Buck to a wagon in front of the livery. The Grahams and Davis's were heading home.

Clark sat in the back of the buckboard, holding a heart-shaped silver locket which startled Buck because his Ma had owned a locket that was a match to the one held in Clark's hands. Clark gently traced the design on top of the locket and said, "My mama told me that this was a gift my natural father gave her before he left. She gave it to me the day before she married my stepfather."

Blue eyes stared into identical blue eyes as Buck whispered, "My pa gave my ma, a locket just like that one too. Buck also said, "And inside there's a faded photo of the man we both take after.

Clark's good arm grasped Buck's shoulder firmly as he answered, "See you at the christening, Uncle Buck."

A huge smile split Buck's face and he promised, "I'll be there." Then, he patted Clark's good hand which was still on his shoulder.

Six men sauntered out of the saloon and circled Buck as the Davis and Grahams' wagon rolled out of town.

The End


End file.
